What'll I Do?
by Hermerva
Summary: Songfic: What'll I Do by Irving Berlin - Hermione and Minerva are apart while Hermione is on the run, but they miss each other.


Songfic: What'll I Do written by Irving Berlin

There are many versions of the song, but hopefully y'all can find the lyrics that work with this. :)

What'll I Do?

Being on the run wore on Hermione every day. While she loved Harry and Ron as brothers and she was happy to know they were safer while she was around. But her thoughts strayed often to her former Transfigurations Professor. While nothing had been said between them, no understanding had been reached, she knew she would never love anyone the way she did Minerva.

Every night she would lay on the floor of the tent with thoughts of the older woman running through her head. She hoped more than anything in the world that nothing would happen to her. She didn't think she could bear it if Minerva didn't make it through this war.

* * *

Minerva sighed as she lowered herself into her chair at the Head Table next to Severus. She looked out over the somber students with pain in her heart. There was a very noticeable absentee from the Gryffindor table. Thoughts of bushy brown hair filled her head and she allowed a small sad smile to grace her lips. She knew that Hermione was the most likely out of anyone in the Wizarding World to take care of herself, but she also knew she would sacrifice herself if it came to that.

Minerva didn't think she could live through finding out Hermione had died on the battlefield without being able to see her one more time. To tell her how much she meant to her. She had no delusions, she knew she was too old and Hermione would want nothing to do with her, but when she thought that they may never see each other again, she knew if she got the chance she would tell Hermione everything.

* * *

Time passed and Minerva still hadn't heard anything from the Golden Trio. Invasive thoughts came through too often about the thought of Hermione alone with the boys. She was fairly certain she had never seen anything more than sibling love between them, but it was obvious the Weasley boy liked her. She ground her teeth together thinking that maybe being on the run had brought them closer together. Of course she knew she had no claim on her young cub, but jealousy raised its ugly head anyway.

She shook her head as she returned her attention to the class she was supervising. That damn Carrow girl was in the back and every student appeared terrified. She was aware that they were practically torturing the students, but there wasn't much she could do about it with the Ministry being corrupt as well, so she did the best she could by keeping them in the back while she gave the students a reprieve.

* * *

Hermione set the wards while the boys set up the tent. They had noticed her melancholy state, but attributed it to the Horcrux that they took turns wearing. She didn't think she could bear to tell them what she was feeling. Unfortunately, the Horcrux did seem to feed into her own feelings of jealousy. Every day she would get images in her head of Minerva kissing various other professors, and occasionally students. She knew somewhere deep inside that these were just hallucinations, but they always felt so real when she was experiencing them. Sighing, she waved her wand a final time and retired to the tent, claiming she had a headache so she could lay down and not be questioned.

* * *

With shaking hands, Hermione pulled the locket out of her pocket. She had handed off the Horcrux to Harry that morning and was already starting to feel better. The locket she held in her hand now was silver with an etching of a tabby cat on the inside cover. The other side held a small photo of Minerva. She had asked Colin the year before if he thought he could get a candid photo of her for a project she was working on. He hadn't even questioned it, just got her the picture by the next week.

Now she stared at it as she rested by stream where they had stopped to rest for lunch. She thought she had already memorized the lines of Minerva's face, but it seemed every time she looked at that small photo she found another feature that made her fall more in love with the women. Today it was piercing emerald eyes that seemed to challenge anyone to disagree with her.

* * *

Brown eyes sparkled up at her from the silver frame on her desk. The picture had been pilfered from the owner's nightstand after she had left to search for Horcruxes. Minerva didn't feel it was necessarily stealing, as she had every intention of returning it when she saw the owner again. Her heart clinched painfully with the thought that she may never see Hermione again. No, she would. If anyone was stubborn enough to survive it was the woman she had been falling in love with for quite some time now.

* * *

Minerva woke in a sweat, panting. Apparently her Animagus state had had enough of her daydreams and had decided to torture her in her sleep as well. She gripped the sheets as her body came down from the high that had woken her up. She could have sobbed realizing that it had only been a dream and that Hermione had not been in her bed, loving her with sure touches.

* * *

Hermione woke in a similar state and was mortified. She desperately hoped she hadn't woken Ron. She listened carefully to the other noises in the tent and heard the deep breathing indicating he was still fast asleep. She knew Harry would be far enough away on his watch that he wouldn't have heard. Sighing, she got up and went outside to take over for him, knowing she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep after dreaming of tasting Minerva.

* * *

The battle for Hogwarts seemed to last forever. Curses flew everywhere and there didn't seem to be any time to search for anyone in particular. Everyone fought for their lives until the very end.

It wasn't until Voldemort was defeated the Death Eaters disappeared that everyone began looking for their loved ones. Some fell to their knees as they came across corpses while others ran into the outstretched arms of their lovers, friends, and family.

Ron ran to his mother, glad to see her still standing, and they searched for the rest of their family.

Harry found Remus and Tonks curled together in a corner, lost in each other.

Hermione smiled at her friends, happy they had found their families. She continued to sweep her gaze across the grounds, but didn't see the person she was looking for, alive or dead. In a daze, she stumbled through the castle, exchanging hugs, touches, or comforting words with those she passed. As glad as she was that it appeared most of her friends had survived, she knew she couldn't rest until she found the one she knew now she couldn't live without.

* * *

Minerva groaned as she pushed the piece of armor off of her. The statues she had brought to life had guarded her until they crumbled and then had collapsed mostly on top of her. She looked around the Great Hall and her heart fell. So much damage had been done to her beloved castle that she knew it would take years to fix everything. Her next thought was Hermione. Hastily, she stood and brushed the dust from her robes, pleased her wand was still intact. She looked out across the hall and her eyes came into contact with the very brown she had been staring at for months.

As if in slow motion, the two women closed the distance between them, hardly noticing the people around them. They stopped when they were mere inches away from each other.

Hermione looked into the eyes of her mentor and friend with tears threatening to fall. Her breath caught as she stared into the deep green pools that held so much emotion. She had never been this close to the woman she already loved and for only a moment, she didn't know what to say. Then it dawned on her, she didn't need to say anything. Without further thought, she leaned forward, tilting her head up, and claimed Minerva's mouth in a searing kiss.

Minerva was surprised, but she responded quickly with enthusiasm. It was Heaven. She wrapped her arms around Hermione's waist and pulled her close, vowing then and there that she would never leave her alone ever again.


End file.
